I have a premium HP notebook with a Nvidia GeForce GT 130 M graphics card. On Nvidia website I read, that the support for the linux driver package 340.xx (legacy) will end at the end of 2019. Now I want to know which of your editions should I choose to ensure that I will use my excellent for a long time, I does not want to throw away it? Is it the Manjaro based edition or the Debian based edition? Is the kernel series 5.2 the end for my nvidia card under plasma?.
The Debian based edition will support the nvidia-legacy driver in Debian Buster for at least 4 years. Maybe even longer. This needs to be seen after the release of Debian Buster.
Thank you @leszek for your answer. I would prefer to use your netrunner “manjaro-version”(more up to date plasma version), could I use it as well at least 4 years or longer?
Unfortunately, no, once the driver is no longer compatible with newer kernels, xorg, and/or Wayland, Manjaro can no longer support it. You could possibly stick with an LTS kernel that supports it as long as Xorg/Wayland does. However, you would need to ask in the Manjaro forums if this would be possible with mhwd in the future. Keep in mind that newer kernels, xorg, and wayland going forward will not be compatible with that card via the nvidia drivers, and a switch to nouveau/mesa would be required for continued use.
Thank you @AJSlye, that is a clear answer. Can you tell me please which other Desktops are running well with nouveau/messa (older Nvidia cards)? Thank you for your efforts.
No not really, I quit buying Nvidia products decades ago.
All of the systems that I use in my home and office, are all 100% Intel based.
I do have one 13" laptop that is AMD based, but it is only used for touch screen functionality testing.
I have Plasma running fine with nouveau on Netrunner and my old Thinkpad T410 with Quadro chip (NVS3100M). But this is a very old setup
Thank you for your answers. It was very helpfully. In the future I will buy no more notebooks with Nvidia chips, because they are not long lasting products supported by drivers etc. and so they are not very ecological, this is not acceptable in the times of climate change. I will use a Debian based distribution, because they are helping me to use my machines as long as possible and so to save our planet via reducing electronic waste.
If I would use Debian testing based Netrunner in the future too, is it presumable that Debian change the kernel up to the 5 series and so I will loose the nvidia driver 340.xx support or will be the Debian “testing” branch stable concerning to the kernel until the next years until the next stable version will be released? I am not meaning buster, it is the new stable.
I have checked OpenMandriva LX 4 edition with kernel 5.1x and the latest plasma desktop and the latest nouveau driver: no issues with QT and plasma. Is that fortune or is it a “Fata Morgana”?
What is your experience?
Thank you.
Debian Stable will stay at the kernel version it ships upon release. (so most probably 4.19)
@leszek: Thank you for your answer. What’s about the new testing branch, how will be the situation there? How works XFCE DE with nouveau?
About the time after testing (buster) becomes stable I cannot say much. It will probably get a newer 5.1.x kernel then I think.
XFCE as far as I know does not use compositing by default.